Kneedles!

Hey Kate!

I got my birthday goodness today: Knit Picks Options Harmony Interchangeable Kneedles set. I haven't had a chance to play with them yet because Emme thinks they are pretty too, so they get played with after she goes to bed. Here are my impressions so far:

Cons

• The case sucks. The case they used to provide with their nickel plated kneedles is much better, though I notice that they now use the same case for all.
• There are no 16" cables. Probably because they don't work so great on interchangeable kneedles. I know the smaller cords are rather stiff and yucky on the Boye set.
• It only goes from size 4 to 11. But the interchangeable kneedles definitely don't work below size 4 and I'm covered on the sizes I need above, so really this is a non issue.
• They aren't interchangeable with the Boye kneedles. I didn't expect them to be. I just had a teeny hope.
• I didn't get them sooner. Ok, that's not really a problem with the kneedles. I know this.

Pros

• They are beautiful -- much more beautiful in person.
• They feel deliciously smooth which just a teeny bit of a resistance.
• They are pointy.
• The cables are nice and flexible.
• They are mine! MINE! Muhahahaha!

I'll enthuse more when I've actually been able to use them. The Apprentice Beanie is still going, by the way. I'll finish it some day soon. I promise.

Later!

Robin

The Aftermath...

Hey Robin,
So much has happened since the last post! I'm so sorry for the quiet but I have been dealing with new toys/new books/new movies. And the Little Guy got some too! Christmas has been beautiful, we even got some snow on Christmas Day! Though I have been told we were the only neighborhood in our area to actually have it stick. I just told that person that our home owner's association is good at planning ahead ;)

I'm excited to report that all planned-recipients of hand-knits got their knits and showed due-appreciation. (nothing worse than giving something that took many many hours of devotion and getting a shrug and a "thanks" in return). The Hub whipped his socks on and refused to take them off all day. Now THAT'S encouragement!

We took more video than stills, so unfortunately I don't have any cutie-pie pictures to share. BUT!! I do have a pic of my next project:


Oh wait, this one is done already. It's a pair of Malabrigo Loafers por Moi! In the hummingbird colorway. Yummy! I might have to felt the loafers though, they really ARE stretching like it says.









OK HERE'S the new project. I used the grid pattern from Hello Yarn... very helpful! And pulled a spiral pattern from my Celtic Cross stitch pattern book. Something handy to have around for sure! I had to agonize for a LONG time on which pattern to use, there were so many that would work!

I decided on spirals because an interlace pattern would seem like a cop-out. Interlaces should be cabled! But I wanted to try some colorwork and it's coming out OK if I may say so myself. It's puckering a little at the dpn-joins, but it's getting better and better! This is fun, but I am so glad i picked mittens to do because it's a short project and good practise! Yay!

I hope you are passing a glorious holiday and that your knew knitting kyear is frogless and happy! :)

Later!

Clarification...

Hey Robin,
I wanted to share with you something from my Mom's recent visit. I know I lampooned her recently for "not getting it" with the knitting bag thing (she DID offer to help me try to find the stuff she thinks is needed to make that bag though) but I feel badly about that. Here's why:
Look what she made for Little Guy! She made every one of these dolls (her current obsession... i get my crafting genes from her) with her hands... just for him. Wait, here's some closeups:

That's Joseph, and his "halo" (how brilliant to make a star one!), then one of the Kings (LG's favorites) and the angel... and the back of the angel so you can see her "wings".

It's honestly one of the best things of hers I have seen in a while. And let me tell you, this woman has done EVERYTHING that is crafting. She throws her whole self into them and when she gets bored she moves on. How gutsy is that? I don't think I can drop my kneedles, but it's amazing to watch her go. I wonder what will be the next obsession?

Anyway, you know how I feel about religion, but I really don't mind this wonderful little reminder of what this holiday is supposed to represent. It's grand don't you think?!

Later!

Wall o' pics

Hey Kate!

I'm a bit hopped up on homemade orange glazed biscuits. You have been warned.

So here's the progress on the Apprentice Beanie.


Emme knows where it goes.


And here's the beginning of my Happy Sock.


So Mr. Loki! How does it feel to be the furniture?


That's all I got.

Later!

Robin

Stress!

Hey Robin,
I really wanted to take some time to post pictures of the FO's but i am up against some technical difficulties. There are alien objects in my pictures! I give you example #1:
and example #2

They are the Maine Morning Mitts and the Sasquatch Earl Grey socks respectively. The mitts are for Little guy's teachers. He's in a preschool that's at a Jewish Community Center, so the class celebrates Chanukah... i had to get these done SUPER fast (as Little Einsteins would say) as soon as I realized what had happened to my calendar.

Next up: I decided that just wrapping the hand mades wasn't enough of a "presentation". Is it vain to want to announce that I made each of these things by hand with thoughts of the recipient dancing in my head? I hope not... so I made these little wrappers:

I got the idea from a blog that I visited WAY back but I can't remember which one it was! It was all about making little sleeves for hand made socks. Excellent idea. Kudos to the blogger!

This is how far I am on my Best Friend's Hug. This was meant to be her birthday present (May people!!) and so if I can get it done for Xmas, I'll only be one gift behind! Yay me!

I think I told you that Little Guy was supremely concerned that his "pet" puppy, Libby Lu, didn't have a stocking for Christmas. "How will Santa know where to put her gifts?" I must admit I was confounded by that logic. We set to correcting that enormous error on my part. (I won't mention that yours truly doesn't have a stocking and that news wasn't met with nearly the same amount of concern).

Here she is with her newly-made felt stocking (no, I didn't knit and felt it. There's just no time!) decorated by Little Guy. Such the artist! And in case you didn't notice, I posed her with Santa's soon-to-be revealed present for her stocking. To match Little Guy's hat!
Libby didn't seem to mind knowing ahead of time....
Later!

On the Snow-Wagon

Hey Robin,
So many of our favorite bloggers are discussing the snow in their areas that I felt I had to share a little as well! And then if I get up the energy I will take pit-churs of my recently completed gift-items! Yay for the recently-completed-part!

OK, so Sunday was our big-snow-day. I took the Little Guy to a birthday party and by the time we came out it was snowing. Actually the MOMENT we came out of the building it started to snow. Needless to say Little Guy was pretty excited.

We got home and immediately started to play. Though there wasn't much to play WITH by this point, I still got a pic to demonstrate a point. We got a lot of snow people. Here's the pretty-tree in the backyard at approx. 1pm:

Notice how dark it is at 1pm. I didn't manipulate this image at all.... OK now here is the same tree two hours later:

The snow has slowed but not stopped at this point really... its like a Winter Wonderland!! I know, I'm all goofy about snow because of all my formative years being spent in non-weatherey areas... but how could you not get all goofy about prettiness on this magnitude?!

Speaking of things to get all goofy about:

I know I'm his Mom, but I ask you... has a cuter little cherub ever lived?!